Lemurs are less intelligent than monkeys. Their sense of smell is more acute but their vision less so. Although some species are at times active during the day, their eyes seem to be adapted for nocturnal life, trading acuity for increased sensitivity in low light conditions. All lemurs are characterized by a reflective layer (tapetum) behind the retina in the eye, but no fovea or macula lutea; a hairless, moist tip to the muzzle; a noninvasive (epitheliochorial) placenta; comblike forward-directed lower front teeth (with the exception of the aye-aye); and a claw (“toilet claw”) on the second toe of the foot.

red-ruffed lemuriStockphoto/ThinkstockA number of lemurs are rare or endangered. Several either were not discovered until the late 20th century or were rediscovered after having been thought extinct. Remains exist of species larger than any of today’s lemurs. Some of these may have survived until only 500 years ago. They were probably exterminated by overhunting or habitat modification by the Malagasy people, who arrived on the island less than 2,000 years ago.

Lemur diversity

ring-tailed lemurEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc.The “true lemurs” (family Lemuridae) include five genera and about 18 species. The best known of these is the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta), commonly seen in zoos. It is unique both in its habitat (some dry and rocky areas of Madagascar) and for its striped tail (all other lemurs have solid-coloured tails). Troops are made up of several males and females, and the females are the dominant sex. A male marks the troop’s territory by slashing the trunk of a small tree with a horny spur on his wrist, making an audible click, and leaving a scented scar on the tree. Members of the related genus Eulemur include the black lemur (E. macaco), in which the male is black and the female is reddish brown. The rare black-and-white or black-and-red ruffed lemurs (genus Varecia) live in rainforests on the eastern side of Madagascar. The gentle lemurs, or lesser bamboo lemurs (genus Hapalemur), and the highly endangered greater bamboo lemurs (Prolemur simus) feed on bamboo stems in the eastern and northwestern rainforests of the island.

There are at least 10 species of sportive lemurs (family Megaladapidae) that live throughout Madagascar in both rainforests and dry forests. They are solitary and nocturnal, feeding on leaves and flowers, which are digested in their enormous cecum with the aid of bacteria. Bacterial fermentation enables energy to be extracted from the large quantity of otherwise indigestible cellulose in the lemur’s diet.

gray mouse lemurEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc.The dwarf lemurs (Cheirogaleus), along with the mouse (Microcebus), Coquerel’s (Mirza), hairy-eared (Allocebus), and fork-crowned (Phaner) lemurs, make up the family Cheirogaleidae, which in many respects are the most primitive living lemurs. Dwarf lemurs store fat in their tails and are dormant (estivate) during dry periods; they live in monogamous pairs. Mouse lemurs, which eat insects and fruit, are the smallest living primates. Fork-crowned lemurs inhabit the forests along Madagascar’s western coast and live on a diet of gum and insects.

Strepsirrhine primates first emerged in the Early Eocene Epoch (some 50 million years ago), though their origins may be traced to the preceding Paleocene Epoch. These Eocene lemuroids were abundant in North America and Europe, and some are known from complete skeletons. By the close of the Eocene (approximately 34 million years ago), strepsirrhines had practically disappeared from the Northern Hemisphere. The lemur lineage continued in tropical forests, however, and they were particularly successful in Madagascar, where they were relatively free from competition with more-advanced primates. No fossil deposits are known in Madagascar between the Mesozoic Era (251 million to 65.5 million years ago) and recent times, so the fossil history of the island’s lemurs is unknown.

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